Monthly Newsletter: April 2023 |
|
Welcome to our monthly Values in Action (VIA Isaiah) newsletter: Your quick guide to improving our community and the world at Temple Isaiah. For the newsletter archive, click here.
VIA ISAIAH IS…a collection of groups within Temple Isaiah who offer opportunities to temple members to serve those in need and to make our community more just through education, advocacy and direct service. Our efforts are grounded in the Jewish values of tikkun olam, repairing the world. Everyone is welcome and needed in this effort. For details of what we do and who to contact, please click here.
"It’s precisely the people who are considered the least 'likely' leaders who end up inspiring others the most. Everyday people and everyday acts of courage eventually change everything."
-Ai-jen Poo
|
|
We are replacing our monthly VIA Community Meetings with specific social justice discussions and action gatherings (think one-off versions of Isaiah Circles). Look for upcoming opportunities to come together, learn, and work with others who share your passion for a particular cause, whether it’s refugees, climate, food, housing or other worthy callings. We have some great events coming up so mark your calendars!
April 26th, 7-8:15pm RAC-CA webinar on Zoom will launch the Climate Tzedek / Clean Energy Campaign. Here is the link to register and share: RAC-CA Training and Action Webinar. If you want to donate to help them cover their expenses, you may give at this link: RAC-CA donation page. We request a donation of $18-54 and appreciate all amounts! Many thanks to everyone who has donated.
April 22nd is Shabbat and Earth Day! What will you do to be a steward of our precious planet? Here are some ideas:
- Participate in a clean up project (pick your own or find one in your community)
- Commit to joining a local environmental group
- Write your political representative and express your belief in reducing our carbon footprint and passing other legislation to combat the climate crisis on our hands
- Support eco-conscious brands
- Stop idling when waiting for kids at school, friends, family members. Turn off your car!
June 16 6:30pm Social Action Shabbat! Please plan to attend so you can be honored in our community for your commitment to social justice and taking action!
|
|
On Tuesday, March 14, the Temple Isaiah Board of Directors overwhelmingly voted to endorse California’s Senate Bill 4, the Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act, which would streamline the process for religious organizations and non-profit colleges to develop affordable housing on their property, regardless of zoning restrictions. This bill will advance concrete solutions for housing-insecure and unhoused people, and we feel this work is in line with our values of tikkun olam as part of our mission. Our support will make a meaningful difference in the advocacy to pass the bill. As previously shared, there are no plans to build on the TI campus. |
|
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Support families at Mt. View Shelter in two ways. WOI has a long-standing commitment of cooking hot dinners for residents of the Mt. View Family Shelter in Martinez. This Spring’s dates are Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28; we will not cook on Tuesday. We need cooks/servers on Thursday and Friday nights and 2 crew chiefs. The shelter provides the ingredients and recipes. We also need more of these requested supplies: pillows, sheets, blankets and bath towels. If you can’t work at the shelter, you can contribute to this social action project. If you have questions, contact Lynn Harrington-Golde at ptlynn@comcast.net or Sheri Lockshin at splockshin@gmail.com, co-directors of the Women of Isaiah Social Action committee. Watch for the SignUp Genius in emails and the Ruach.
Help an immigrant family of 8 to get their children to/from school in Oakland. An immigrant family of 8 from Honduras is living in Winter Nights Shelter. This family was waiting at the Mexican border for two years to be able to ask for asylum. During these years, the children were not able to attend school. They arrived in Oakland three months ago and were attending school there while living with a relative until they became unhoused and moved into the Winter Nights shelter.
We need volunteers who can give these kids rides to and from school in Oakland (Dimond District area). Public transportation takes over an hour and is difficult because it's hard for the mom with her 3-year-old. School starts at 8am and ends at 3pm. One day a week they get out at 1pm.
We also need places the mother and 3-year-old can go during the day since the shelter closes from 7am-5pm on weekdays. A few hours in a congregational space, your home, or another safe place could make a real difference. Even if you only can do this once, it makes a huge difference!
Contact Nadia Tavera Medina, our Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Teams (NEAT) Coordinator, at ntavera@im4humanintegrity.org if you are able to be part of this effort.
Refugee Assistance through JFCS seeks helpers for newly arrived Afghan or Ukrainian refugee families to settle into their new home! Become a member of a Temple Isaiah Welcome Team to help JFCS enroll their children in school, help them find work, become familiar with their surroundings, etc. Contact Lisa Hirsch at lhirsch17@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions. JFCS can also use our help with the following:
-
NEW: Legal Support - JFCS needs pro bono attorneys to help with Afghan asylum applications. If you are interested, you can go online for more information at jfcs-eastbay.org/afghan-pro-bono-representation-project
-
ESL Tutors - This can be in person or via Zoom
-
Grocery Shopping for newcomers - buy groceries at your own expense and deliver them to clients
-
Adult Bikes - JFCS needs adult bikes in any condition.
-
Gift Cards - Target, Visa, Amazon and Safeway are preferred but they are grateful for anything. You can send them to the JFCS office at 2151 Salvio Street, Suite 350, Concord CA 94520 attn: Volunteer Services
PS: The man looking for work found a job!
Winter Nights’ 2023 team is looking for more members! We’d like 2-3 new members to join us in organizing and planning for Winter Nights during the last two weeks of December. If you and your friends are looking for a way to participate in direct service to the unhoused community and can offer your time for a week or two at the end of the year, we need you! Winter Nights is a tradition for Temple Isaiah and we are serving the larger community of Contra Costa by hosting this rotating shelter for two weeks. If you are interested, contact Joani deVries at joandevries2@gmail.com or Rabbi Lawrence at rabbi.lawrence@temple-isaiah.org.
Jewish Coalition for Literacy has been serving Bay Area children and families for over 20 years! Now more than ever, kids are struggling to read at grade level. To learn more about JCL's one-on-one K-5 reading tutoring program or to make a donation, visit: jclread.org. Contact Phyllis Edwards at (925)200-5239 to learn about her experience with this rewarding program.
Join the Multi-faith ACTION Coalition to tackle the root causes of poverty. People from all faith backgrounds meet to identify issues, research potential solutions, and advocate by meeting with elected local and state officials, attending legislative visits, supporting bills, and writing letters. Contact Doug Leich at leichd@gmail.com to be connected with the task forces you wish to join. Visit multifaithactioncoalition.org/newsletter/2022 for details.
Angel Network is a caring community of volunteers dedicated to offering comfort and support to members and their families in times of need. When a need arises, please call the Temple office at (925)283-8575. For more details, visit temple-isaiah.org/values-in-action/angel-network.
|
|
Climate Crisis: To many of us, the climate crisis seems just too big to tackle on our own; it's too overwhelming to even contemplate for very long. Yet, the planet is speaking and we are called to listen. The opinion piece below from The Washington Post offers a different way of looking at the climate crisis. It’s a very Jewish approach in that it asks us to look more closely at our relationship with our planet and how we can be better stewards of our precious Earth. It’s a short read and it might inspire you: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/15/rebecca-solnit-climate-change-wealth-abundance.
RAC-CA is building a statewide Climate Tzedek campaign to achieve policies that will fulfill our climate leadership goals as Californians and grow our communities into centers of practical and spiritual resilience and support.
Temple Isaiah's VIA team is committed to strongly supporting advocacy for key climate change legislation at the local and state level. The links below will get you much more detailed information about upcoming advocacy opportunities. THIS IS THE EXISTENTIAL CRISIS OF OUR LIFETIME. To learn more about the campaign and what we heard at the regional gathering, check out this presentation and these training slides that were made at the gathering and join the effort to care for our planet before it’s too late.
Listen to this Podcast: About Racism through the Lens of Someone who Lived It. Being “Irrepressible” with Little Rock Nine Member Minnijean Brown-Trickey.
Episode Summary
“I went because they didn’t want me there,” says Minnijean Brown-Trickey, our guest this week. It’s been more than 60 years since she made history. At 16-years-old, she and eight other black students found an angry mob and the national guard blocking their entry to Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Backed by 1,200 soldiers, they eventually made it inside for their first full day of class. White students threw hot food at them, called them names and even sprayed some of them with acid. One day, a white kid hit Minnijean with a purse. She responded by calling the student “white trash.” For that, she was expelled, which profoundly affected her trajectory. She ended up finishing her education in New York City and went on to become a civil rights activist and speaker. Minnijean joins WITHpod for a moving conversation about how she channeled the trauma she experienced into a life of activism, the continued fight for racial equality and more.
Mental Health Support for Adults: Second Sundays from 3-5pm online. Whether you are struggling with Covid, going through a difficult period, or have ongoing mental health issues, join us for our free, monthly drop-in support group. We create the space for sharing and supporting one another as part of a nonjudgmental, caring community.
Mental Health Support for Family Members: Fourth Mondays from 7-8:30pm online. Are you a parent, sibling, or child of an adult with mental health issues? This free, drop-in support group provides information as well as the opportunity to share and support each other as you learn to help your loved one. Facilitated by licensed clinical social worker, Rosemarie Frydman, NAMI certified trainer Karen Cohen, and Diana MaKieve.
Get Involved in Bay Area Environmental Actions. Receive useful information regarding local Bay Area actions and events dedicated to fighting the climate crisis at 350contracosta.org.
Temple Isaiah’s Mental Health & Wellness webpage has monthly spotlight articles that seek to educate and bring awareness to a variety of topics covering mental illness, addiction, spiritual well being, and more. To access these monthly articles, please visit temple-isaiah.org/community/mental-health-and-wellness and scroll down to
|
|
Plan ahead and mark your calendar for these exciting, upcoming programs! |
|
Mark Your Calendar: June 16 6:30pm Social Action Shabbat! Please plan to attend so you can be honored in our community for your commitment to social justice and taking action!
Support a new, local, black-owned beauty products store in Walnut Creek. RootedBeauti opened on February 1st and is a black-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned online boutique that provides a variety of high-quality, health-conscious hair and beauty products for textured hair and melanated skin. It focuses on natural, toxic-free, animal-cruelty free products. Additionally, their business has a huge give-back component, committing 10% of sales, products and their time to organizations that ensure that socio-economically disadvantaged girls, women and minorities are afforded unrestricted opportunities for a better quality of life. Click here for details.
|
|
To contribute information to this monthly VIA newsletter, please contact co-editors
|
|
You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the "Values in Action announcements" list. To update your list preferences, please click the "Update Lists" link below. If you unsubscribe, you will no longer receive any email from Temple Isaiah. Questions? Please contact the Temple office at (925)283-8575 or frontoffice@temple-isaiah.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
